@ Darren- I don't recall the shutter speed, but I usually shoot animals at ISO 400, so I would have adjusted the shutter to properly expose based on that and an aperture of F/11. The lens is a 100-400mm Canon 'L' Series @ 400mm with a 2x extension tube which Canon makes just for this lens. It's heavy, cumbersome, and autofocus won't work with the extension, but the results are worth it. I didn't have to crop this shot at all.

27 Nov 2006 6:06pm

Ryan from Canada

I use the same lens but without the extension. Great lens and a great shot!

27 Nov 2006 9:19pm

Matt Trujillo Photography from Portland, United States

@ Duncan- Not really. I live about five minutes from a protected wetland/ wildlife refuge, and about 15 minutes from a gigantic forested park. This was shot in the latter. This tree is right next to the trail, and the bird was about 25 feet off the ground. Oregon is a beautiful place.

27 Nov 2006 9:41pm

Jason Kravitz from Brussels, Belgium

nice - I don't think I've seen a sapsucker before - they are pretty birds.

27 Nov 2006 9:52pm

Laurie from United States

Beautiful...reminds me of the woodpecker, I guess they are similar...only they like to put holes in my house, very annoying when you hear them pecking in the early morning on the weekend.

Wonderful shot.

28 Nov 2006 4:53am

Matt Trujillo Photography from Portland, United States

@ Laurie- I made the mistake of calling this a woodpecker. The pictured shot is one taken on a second visit to this nesting sight. On said occasion, I was fortunate to meet a doctoral student who kindly set me straight on the nature of this bird when I confessed my ignorance. Sapsuckers nest in the trunks of trees which are able to survive the wounds inflicted by the birds activity. The trees then bleed sap down the trunk, which protects the hatchling birds from some predation from ground-based predators. (Snakes, insects...) There's tons more to know (i.e. doctorate in urban forestry), but I gleaned this much from one short conversation in the Hoyt Arboretum.

28 Nov 2006 9:18pm

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